homesickness; yearning; wistfulness

Religion

Wow, it’s been a while. I guess I had gotten everything out of my system. And then Donald Trump became our president. With his election and the subsequent discussions, I’ve noticed some forces at work that I want to discuss. Before I start, these concepts don’t apply to all Christians. They apply to a certain … [Read more…]

My dad died a few days ago. It would be wonderful – so wonderful, such a comfort – to be able to believe that he’s frolicking in a meadow of flowers with my sister, Emma, and that they’re both looking down on me with beatific smiles. But I can’t believe that. There isn’t a scrap of evidence … [Read more…]

Via The New York Times: One 34-year-old Yazidi woman, who was bought and repeatedly raped by a Saudi fighter in the Syrian city of Shadadi, described how she fared better than the second slave in the household — a 12-year-old girl who was raped for days on end despite heavy bleeding. “He destroyed her body. She … [Read more…]

You are a devout Christian. Your convictions aren’t something you just shrug off, like some people do. They actually mean something to you. Maybe you even, say, run a Christian blog that you occasionally (ahem) update. Now imagine that you die, and your family holds a funeral calling on Zeus and the Greek pantheon to … [Read more…]

This post has language in it because it’s Monday and I’m annoyed. (Side note: I am sorry that this blog is turning into my rant space, maybe, but…) Is there no end to the back-peddling and shuffling around that some people will do to avoid OWNING what they believe? If you want to know what I’m … [Read more…]

Just want to put two things here for you to consider together. First, this appeared on my Facebook timeline this morning. Second, this news story. An excerpt: The crisis the community of Kavumu is facing is unimaginable. Girls as young as 18 months old, and up to 10 years old, have been viciously attacked. Many … [Read more…]

It’s been forever since I updated, mostly because I had gotten out a lot of what I wanted to say, and partly because I’m lazy. But after today’s terrorist attack in Paris and the murder of twelve people who had the audacity to laugh at certain ideas, I had to write a quick post to … [Read more…]

This is a post about what words mean and why atheists and theists sometimes find themselves missing each other’s points in the middle. It’s also a list of suggestions: Things to Please Stop Saying to Atheists, Please, We Beg You. How can you know for sure there’s no god? The universe is vast. What if … [Read more…]

A friend shared this on Facebook and praised God for his love and grace. And all I could think was, “Are you serious? This is absolutely awful.” If you have to be saved from someone who supposedly loves you, you’re in an abusive relationship. You might want to look into it.

Headline: 9-year-old beaten to death while trying to stop teen from raping his 11-year-old sister Fallen world? Free will? Mysterious ways? You theists out there can haggle over all that. As for me? Don’t ever tell me that your god can’t or shouldn’t be questioned. And for sure don’t ever tell me that your god is good. … [Read more…]